Published by
Martin Communications

February 06, 2018

Most of us in the ad industry watched the Super Bowl LII last week for more than just the game. We love the ads. Our social media feeds were streaming in real time with discussion about the good, the bad, and the great strategy.

For us, Tide won the Super Bowl. (Sorry Philly!)

Product placement and shorter, bookend spots are not a new thing in TV advertising. But, Tide took this to a whole new level this year. The brand married a series of spots throughout the game and played off of an existing campaign strategy. If you missed them, the :15 spots pulled in familiar faces such as Mr. Clean and the Old Spice Guy (that many of us love to see whenever possible.) The theme through all of them was if you see clean, it’s a Tide ad.

Then, they got the strategy right by translating it to social as an accompanying message – short GIFs and messages designed to drive conversation and coincide with the timing of the TV ads. If you followed the Tide Twitter page during the game, the brand engaged with audiences about the ads, posted GIFs that coincided with them, and prompted conversation.

While a number of brands in recent years have taken to social media to support their super bowl strategy, Tide upped the game this year with a comprehensive strategy that didn't blow a bunch of money just to engage one audience.

At Martin Communications, we believe marketing campaigns should be just as well-rounded. While not every brand has the ability to invest in a multi-spot super bowl campaign, the strategy Tide used is applicable to nearly every organization. A strong campaign can be flexible for a variety of engagement avenues that both drive brand awareness and elicit action.